■Book 148─Power of Mantra
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
■Chapter Four
When I was young, my mother, Lu Yunu, told me a story. Once, there was an old woman who had lost all of her teeth due to her old age. It was very difficult for her to eat anything without her teeth. She could not eat solid food, so she could only eat liquid food.
The old woman’s daughter-in-law was very filial and caring and always served her mother-in-law with the greatest care. She was sad to see how the old woman struggled with food, but she did not have a solution for the problem.
The daughter-in-law gave birth to a boy one day and she breast-fed the baby. Her breast milk was very nutritious and filling. After feeding the baby, she continued to produce milk. The daughter-in-law thought of her mother-in-law and instinctively took the old lady into her arms and breast-fed her. Her mother-in-law was old and was so light that it felt like she was cradling a small child in her arms.
The old woman had no teeth and could only drink her liquid food, so she suckled on her daughter-in-law’s milk and had a full meal.
The baby grew well and the old woman’s mental acuity and health greatly improved after the breast-feeding. The baby’s teeth began to come through, but the most amazing thing was the fact that the old woman’s gums began to harden. Eventually she grew thirty-eight new teeth! Don’t you think this is amazing?
When I first heard this story, I thought it was simply impossible. My mother had mentioned that:
1. Breast milk is more nutritious than any manufactured milk products.
2. Breast milk is rich in calcium.
3. The filial act of the daughter-in-law moved the heavens.
This was a rather familiar story. Later in life, a traditional Chinese doctor told me that human breast milk is very nutritious. Babies that feed on their mother’s milk usually do not fall sick very easily, and they have a naturally strong immune system.
The doctor told me that breast milk was known as “celestial wine” in traditional Chinese medicine:
Celestial wine,
Celestial wine,
Here on earth you will readily find.
* * *
My life was touched by the spiritual realm and thereafter I began my mission to help and liberate sentient beings in every way possible. Throughout all of this, I have encountered the strangest things and some of these encounters were simply magical and beyond comprehension. One of them even involved teeth!
There was a Buddhist by the name of Jiang Wei who came to me for a consultation.
“What would you like to find out?” I asked.
He kept silent. Instead he opened his mouth to show me his teeth.
I noticed a missing front tooth in the upper row of his teeth and it was obvious to anyone there was a gap there.
Jiang Wei said, “I lost this front tooth naturally. It just loosened up and dropped off. Now I am stuck with this gap. First of all, it looks ugly. Second, there’s a lisp whenever I talk. Next, my saliva shoots out uncontrollably and lastly, according to the book of face reading, having a broken tooth contributes to a loss of wealth.”
“You want a …?” I began to ask.
“I wonder if I can ask you for a talisman which can help me grow a new tooth to replace the old one.”
“Ha!” I laughed, “You need a dentist to help you with that!”
Jiang Wei said, “It is costly to consult a dentist. Without the root of the tooth, you need a fixed-bridge supported by the adjacent left and right teeth. Thus, it is best that I grow a new tooth.”
“There is no such thing as growing a new tooth, you know. You are not a kid anymore.”
“I heard you are able to solve any problem.”
“Nonsense!”
“It’s not nonsense. It’s true,” Jiang Wei said.
I told Jiang Wei, “What I have here are talismans to help an infant’s teeth come through, to cure toothaches, and to treat inflammation of the gums as well as tooth decay. Your condition doesn’t seem to fit into any of these.”
“All I need is a talisman to grow a new tooth.”
“No way,” I said.
“Why not?”
“They only work for infants and you’re not a baby.”
Jiang Wei said, “I’d like to give it a try!”
“The effectiveness of talismans depends on the sincerity of one’s heart. There is no room for frivolous attempts.”
“But my heart is sincere when I request a talisman that can help grow a tooth.”
“That’s for an infant,” I repeated.
“Why don’t you treat me as an infant baby then?” Jiang Wei insisted.
“If the talisman doesn’t work, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t.”
I could not refuse Jiang Wei’s repeated request. I drew a talisman for him that helped grow new teeth, which was meant for infants. Naturally, the talisman had no effect on him.
Any infant whose teeth have not come through needs only this talisman to help push the teeth out. It works every time.
Jiang Wei was not about to give up so easily. He came to see me again.
“My friends told me you have the best solutions for everything and that you have great power,” Jiang Wei said. “What is impossible miraculously becomes possible in your hands. I hope you can create a miracle for me.”
“To make an adult grow a new tooth? Aren’t you stretching it a little too far?” I said.
“That would be a miracle. A true miracle.”
-To Be Continued-
